The Draughon Center invites creative writers to apply for the Creative Writing Residency at Pebble Hill. The residency supports writers working in fiction or creative nonfiction who seek solitude and dedicated time in an inspiring space to explore new ideas or bring a long-term project closer to completion.
Applications for May 2027 will be available soon.
This opportunity is made possible by the generous support of Auburn University alumna and New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan Henry ’86.
2026 Recipient • Caleb Johnson
Caleb Johnson is the author of the novels Telegraph Road (Hub City Press, Fall 2027) and Treeborne (Picador), which received an honorable mention for the Southern Book Prize and was longlisted for The Crook’s Corner Book Prize. He has been featured on the Emmy Award-winning television show TrueSouth. His nonfiction has been cited in The Best American Essays, and appears widely in newspapers and magazines. Caleb grew up in Arley, AL, studied journalism at The University of Alabama, and earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Wyoming. He has received fellowships from The Jentel Foundation, the Longleaf Writers Conference, and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. His previous jobs include newspaper reporter, janitor, middle-school teacher, and whole-animal butcher. Currently, Caleb teaches creative writing at Appalachian State University and lives in Boone, NC with his family.